Dell Aero available today from Dell for $99, later from AT&T
Dell this morning announced the available of its first Android smartphone (that’s not a MID), the Aero. The 3.5-inch device (Gorilla Glass at an, erm, interesting 360×640 resolution) runs a pre-Eclair version of Android but is so heavily skinned you might never actually notice. There’s a 5-megapixel camera, 2GB of onboard memory and microSD card, Wifi, Bluetooth, and the other usual bells and whistles.
To go along with the Dell UI, erm, customizations, the usual buttons you’d find at the bottom of the screen have been moved to the side of the device. We’ll let that sink in for a moment. … … … OK. Let’s all wait until we actually use the Aero before we pass judgment on that one.
The Aero is available now at Dell.com/mobile for $99 with a new AT&T contract, an $299.99 sans contract. It’ll be available at AT&T sometime in the future. Dell’s official hands-on and full presser are after the break.
Posted originally at Android Central
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Dell Streak $299 after contract; $549 outright; Aero is $99 on contract
Dell has announced the prices for the much anticipated Streak and Aero Android phones. The 5-inch Streak will be $299.99 with an eligible two-year AT&T agreement, and $549.99 if bought outright. It’s normal-sized little brother, the Aero, will run you $99.99 with contract, and only $299.99 off contract.
For the Streak, you will need to sign up for the pre-sale opportunity, which gives you a spot in line, free shipping and a $0.99 cent Plantronics Bluetooth headset. Those who register will receive a special purchase link sometime on July 27, and if you don’t use it before July 28, the deal disappears. No such deal for the Aero, which will be available at the Dell website on Aug. 9. [Dell]
Posted originally at Android Central
Sponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
Dell Aero passes through the FCC approval process
It’s getting closer. First the Dell Aero showed up on AT&T’s website (with all the normal Google services!), now we see that the FCC has approved it for use in the United States. Nothing we didn’t already know spec-wise, but the green light has been given and AT&T can start selling them whenever they are ready. Of course no word on when it will be available or any pricing particulars, but rest assured as soon as we know you’ll find it here.
With all the other Dell Android news and rumors, is it too little too late? To me this looks like a great introductory-level phone for people new to the Android platform, or the perfect handset for those who need a smaller, lighter phone. Let us know what you think in the comments. [FCC via Engadget]
Dell Aero appears on AT&T’s website, with Google apps, search in tow
The Dell Aero has shown up on AT&T’s website with a "coming soon" tagline. While the Aero still looks less than impressive when compared to some of the other new Android phones hitting the wild, there is a bit of good news. It’s seems that once again Engadget was right, and the phone will have all the Google services we’ve come to expect on Android devices – even Google search. This is good news for those of you on AT&T who may have been worried that future handsets were all going to be crippled (or not crippled) like the poor little Backflip.
At least there’s now a viable option for AT&T subscribers who want a subsidized Android phone that does the things Android phones should do. As soon as details like price and release date surface, we’ll keep you posted. Thanks Garrett!
More info on the Dell Aero pops up
The Dell Aero, the sort-of good-looking Dell Android phone headed to AT&T, just got some new information that’s just not worth getting excited about. The Aero is said to use a middling 624 MHz Marvell processor, a 3.5-inch capacitive screen, and a capacitive stylus for handwriting recognition. If you remember, the software is all sorts of crazy and the leak suggests that there’ll be a media player that will use Windows Media DRM to protect downloaded music (dont ask us why). But it’s not all bad, QuickOffice, ActiveSync, on-device photo editing, and social networks come stock on the Aero too. However, it’s expected to run Android 1.5 with 2.1 as a promised update later this year, and we all know how that story goes.
Compared to the other Dell phones leaked yesterday, the Aero is just, un-exciting. At least it’s going where Android phones go to die AT&T. [Engadget]
Stop calling phones crippled just because they don’t do what you want
Hey, you. Over there banging away on your laptop in outrage. Need to let you in on a little secret. The Dell Aero isn’t crippled. Neither is the Motorola Backflip. And you need to stop saying they are.
No, we don’t agree with AT&T’s decision to not allow unsigned apps on the Backflip and, according to Phone News, the Dell Aero, which isn’t even out yet. We’d much prefer the carriers follow in Android’s spirit of openness. But you know what? It’s AT&T’s decision not to.
So before you start an online petition, before you even think — let alone type — the word class-action lawsuit, and before you hop on Twitter to rail against The Man, answer these questions: Were you being forced to buy either of these phones? Sure, they’re the only Android fare AT&T has to offer, and that sucks. But neither of these phones is crippled. (At least not the Backflip — we haven’t seen the Dell actually turned on yet.) They do e-mail. They have a Web browser. They purchase, download and install apps from the Android Market just fine — just like every other Android phone.
What they don’t do is run apps outside of the Market. That’s AT&T’s decision, and that’s just not that big a deal for the vast population of Android users. So think about this before you declare it DOA, especially before you even get a chance to use it.
/rant
Hands-on (mostly) with the new AT&T Android-powered Dell Aero
It was a long and hard first day at CTIA, with the announcement of a couple of stellar Android phone, and the return of Dell to the U.S. smartphone area. That brings us to the Dell Aero, which was announced for AT&T. And we got our hands on it tonight … And that’s it. It might or might not be a working device. We don’t know, because Dell wouldn’t turn it on, for whatever reason.
So, we got an OK feel for the hardware. And in what seems to be a growing trend, it’s pretty darn light. Actually, save for feeling a bit plastic, it was a pretty sexy phone. Nice and slim, with graceful lines that fit nicely in your hand. And so after the break, a few more pics of the Dell Areo purely as a work of industrial design. Here’s to hoping we actually see it in action at some point.